Read Jethro: First to Fight for Free Online Page A

lightly.
    “If he came back, if, things would be
different,” Walker growled. He turned to Nelson. “Have Miss Persephone and her
team on standby.”
    “Sir, a full merc group? We don't know
where the admiral went right?” Nelson asked, looking at Gerald Long, the
senator sitting in a chair nursing a scotch. Long shrugged.
    “Just do it. Have a small ship standing
by as well.” Slowly the governor smiled. “You know, the navy has that health
and welfare check up right? Have the ship run through the navy first, let the
navy pay to check the ship over and then the crew can fix it up while they
wait.”
    “Yes sir. Funds?”
    “Get a line from the Capital colony
budget. Call it something under the table so it won't arouse suspicion if they
ever get an audit going,” Long said.
    “They won't audit, they wouldn't dare,”
Walker growled.
    Long gave him a long look. “You'd be
surprised what those uppity bastards can do these days. We're holding on by a
thread in both houses you know. I've steered four blue ribbon investigation
panels away from you and our friends, but it's getting tighter. Throw in media
hounds actively trying to pull us down...” he grimaced and shrugged.
    Walker scowled. One of the things he
hated the most about the new constitution was the first amendment guaranteeing
free speech. “The damn media,” he growled.
    “At least they've gotten part of the
story of Destiny out sir. Before we were still getting second and third hand
rumors from our sources,” Nelson reminded him.
    “True,” Long replied with a nod. “They
had quite the adventure. Their return was surprising,” he admitted. He, like
Walker and some of their fellows were unhappy about the adventures the
freighter Destiny had had taking the admiral into exile. They would have much
preferred it all blow over, but now that it was out in the open they had found
out that the navy was indeed investigating the assassination attempts and
sabotage... which made them squirm even more.
    Walker had traced the major sources of
sabotage to the speaker's door. When he had found out he'd been infuriated...
and relieved that she'd taken care to cover her tracks so carefully. He'd had
to clean up only one loose end. But he was glad the bitch was dead, she couldn't
blackmail him with the threat of exposure.
    “Irons was busy. Agnosta, Briev,
Triang...” Long said, looking at the report on his tablet before he dropped it
back into his lap. “He's definitely cleared the way for the military to go to
Agnosta. What are we going to do about that?” he demanded.
    “Cross that bridge when we get there,”
Walker said absently, sitting in his chair.
     “Everything was looking up until
that damn bitch ran Irons out of the system. Now we're screwed. Back to where
we started.”
    “Not quite sir, but close. The navy is a
bright spot.”
    Gerald snorted. “One of our few ones.
Any luck with getting them sorted out?” he asked. He was one of the senators
who not only supported Walker, he also had started to fill the power vacuum the
others had left after the speaker had died. He was a mediocre conspirator, with
enough brains to work things out, and just enough of a trust thing going to
keep with the group. He didn't go off half cocked like some did, trying to
assassinate Irons after he'd left.
    Walker grimaced. “No, that's still a
thorn in my side.”
    “One that needs to be dealt with.”
    “I hate to say it, but we need Irons
back. He may have been an idealistic pain in the ass but he got the job done.”
Entirely true, Walker thought. Irons had worked miracles when he'd been here.
After the admiral had left Walker had watched the media attention of his
leaving. He'd even watched the Knox special, the one on the admiral's
anniversary of his exile. He'd thought at first he'd watch it to gloat, but in
the end it had opened his eyes to what Irons had done... and what he'd planned
to achieve. After that segment had aired he'd taken another hit in the